JUST got the news via cup of joe. Domino is folding! I am so sad. March will be the last issue. I can't tell you how happy this magazine makes me.....I loved finding it in my mailbox every month. Luckily I have saved every issue...I need a tissue.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

This is a letter I got in the mail yesterday from Tiffany. Tiffany used to work at paper scissors oranges. She moved back to Canada where she opened her very own art studio, GLITTER PIE. My heart is singing! All the best to you always Tiffany...you are an inspiration!so sweet....

Thursday, January 22, 2009

This is a giant book filled with Charley Harper's illustrations.These are Charley Harper t-shirts for children available at Old Navy.Old Navy is carrying a whole Charley Harper collection of books, games and puzzles for children. Get'm while they're hot!!!!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

My friend Boo came to dinner a few weeks ago when it was super cold out. She came in white snow pants with long undies underneath. She said she sleeps in these snow pants. They were too warm and cozy to take off. She looked great in them..sporty and stylish. "OK", I thought. So last weekend big snow was in the forecast. I wanted to be able to go outside and roll around in the snow with Everett..you know make snow angels and a snow person. I thought I outta get myself some snow pants so I headed down to our local outdoor sports store and found these Obermeyer Sugar Bush pair. The least expensive ones they carry. I haven't taken them off since...ok to sleep and to wash because I wore to the studio and they got all painty...but I did NOT want to take them off.....so cozy and I must say flattering with the highest waist. I keep talking about how great they are to anyone who will listen. Gretchen said post about them (she's on her way to get some) oh and I feel naked without them. (It was 7 degrees this morning)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Sol Lewitt Restrospective at the MASS MOCA museum in North Adams, Ma was amazing. Everett loved walking (and running) through the 4 floors of wall drawings after huge wall drawings. Each drawing was painted by art students (lots of them). There was a video that showed the process...that was the most interesting. You can watch a time lapse video of the creation of one of the paintingshere. It took months to complete the entire installation. If you have a chance to visit, GO....bring your kids. They will love it!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Saturday, January 10, 2009

I couldn't resist these leather flats from Sue London. Her website is beautiful. The palette is irresistible. I'd love a pair in every color but went with the ever practical noir. They come all folded in a matching leather pouch. I know I'll wear everyday once the snow and ice melts. Oh and the ones on the right are for little girls....so sweet!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

It seems to me a rare thing to have a friend you met in 7th grade, but Susanna and I have, indeed, been close since 1979. Even more unusual, have been our overlapping paths in life; 2000 miles apart. While Susanna has been teaching art in Connecticut at Paper Scissors Oranges, I have been living in Boulder, CO and teaching at Clementine Studio (a sister studio, with a different name). For many years, both Susanna and I have been up to our ears in children’s art: developing a deep respect for children, and the fascinating way art helps them grow. In 2006, I started a retail line of natural and organic art supplies for children in order to support healthy creative art explorations at home (www.clementineart.com). Recently, Susanna invited me to contribute an entry about my thoughts on children and creativity to her blog.

Susanna has inspired countless children at her glorious art studio Paper Scissors Oranges for nearly a decade. Her studio is a magical place. Art card worthy in its aesthetic, the studio engages children in a process that has all but vanished from the lives of modern, busy children; the process of real creativity.

Children are naturally creative. Picasso said “Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Too often, activities forchildren ask far too little of them. “Follow these directions and you’ll get a glass jar filled with layers of colored sand.” Pretty? maybe. Creative? no.Widely used crafts like these miss an important opportunity to support children in the creative process: nourishing right brain abilities to dream,brainstorm, plan, problem-solve, synthesize, interpret, express and execute an original vision.

The word ‘creative’ has become a ubiquitous buzzword, plastered on children’s products from craft kits to math games, but the essence of the word; the power and ability to invent, is sadly missing from the outcome. In order for an activity to support the development of real creativity, it must allow children the space, materials, support and respect to engage in the creative process; a process that involves the invention of something new.

What makes an activity creative? Children’s work is creative when it:

Is open-ended: Children are in charge of the outcome, regardless of what the outcome looks like.

Engages imagination and feelings: Children have an opportunity to discover what it is they want to say, and how they want to say it.

Children who are engaged and supported in creative thinking, glow, hum and shine. The act of creation is natural, joyful, nourishing, and developmental for children. Just visit Paper Scissors Oranges to see for yourself.

I owned and operated an art studio for children, paper scissors oranges in Darien, Connecticut for a decade. I keep my eyes wide open for inspiration....I am happy to share what I love, do and find here.